- Guardiola claimed United were 'back' on Friday
- Ten Hag full of praise for his side
- But insisted they can still improve
WHAT HAPPENED? Marcus Rashford's 100th club goal secured a narrow 1-0 victory for Manchester United against West Ham as they moved to within touching distance of the Champions League places. During his post-match interview, Erik Ten Hag was full of praise for his side but admitted they were far from the finished article, after Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had claimed they were "coming back" on Friday.
WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag told reported when quizzed on Guardiola's remarks: "It's a little bit too quick. Second half I have to be critical, we have to manage things better.
"The spirit is fabulous, we have the qualities to score goals, attacking football, the effectiveness we need to improve that. If we keep going we’re in the right direction but to track them we have a long way to go."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: United's latest win over West Ham moves them within one point of the top four, with a game in hand over fourth-placed Newcastle. They are, however, still eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 to maintain their grip on first place.
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Getty Images
Getty Images
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UNITED? Before taking on Unai Emery's Aston Villa next Sunday, United will need to win by two clear goals against Real Sociedad on Thursday if they are to finish top of their Europa League group.